As is known, printing machines of this type generally comprise means for moving which locate each single object to be printed in a succession of work stations, at which the object is subjected to the various stages of the printing process.
Normally these means for moving comprise a rotatable carousel provided with a circumferential series of angularly equidistanced chucks, each of which bears a respective object to be printed.
At the end of the printing stages, the rotatable carousel locates each printed object in an extractor station, in order for it to be removed from the carousel and possibly sent on to a warehouse or other process machine.
A transfer organ is operative at the extractor station, which transfer organ removes the printed object from the relative chuck of the rotatable carousel and transfers it to special means for distancing.
Obviously during this operation the carousel is stationary.
Normally the means for distancing comprise a plurality of pins which are moved in succession along a predetermined pathway which brings them to pass into the above-mentioned extractor station, where they pair up with the chucks of the rotatable carousel.
The transfer organ generally comprises a gripping element which can grip a printed object which is made available therefor by the rotatable carousel.
The transfer organ is therefore activated to move alternatingly straight, so as to complete a backward run, in which it extracts the printed object from the relative chuck, and a following forward run, in which it places the printed object on a pin which, in the meantime, has moved to a side of the chuck.
A drawback of these known machines is that the hourly production rates thereof are very considerably limited by the slowness of the above-described unloading stage of the printed objects, which forces the carousel to take lengthy rests.
It is easily understood that to unload each printed object two complete runs, backward and forward, of the transfer organ are required, while the carousel chuck and the pin are stationary in the extractor station: a first run to remove the object from the rotating carousel, and a second run to bring itself back into the unloading position and grip a new printed object, while the first object is transferred to the means for distancing.